Trimming tools



April 21, 1970 w, GELL ETAL TRIMMING TOOLS Filed March 25, 1968 wry Int/anion) Wilfrid 6:611 and I K62 ill Wa n United States Patent U.S. C]. 29-78 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A trimming tool comprising an elongated blade having a cutting surface on at least one side, and a holder for the blade, has a holder having at one end a hand rest and at the other end a handle, and means which connect the hand rest to the handle but which allow movement of the handle from a plane position to a file position without disconnection of the handle from the hand rest.

This invention relates to trimming tools of the kind comprising an elongated blade having a cutting surface on at least one side, and a holder extending along the other side of the blade, the holder having at one end a hand rest and at the other end a handle. Such tools will hereinafter be called trimming tools of the kind described.

The invention provides a trimming tool comprising an elongated blade having a cutting surface on at least one side and a holder for the blade extending along the other side of the blade, the holder having at one end a hand rest, at the other end a support member substantially fixed in relation to the hand rest which support member has a V-shaped slot extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tool and facing away from the hand rest, a handle, and connecting means joining the handle to the hand rest, the handle having a V-shaped nose corresponding in shape and size to the V-shaped slot in the support member into which slot it can thus be fitted with either of two different orientations, the angle and location of the slot and the nose being such that the handle may be mounted on the support member in a plane position or in a file position, depending on the orientation of the V-shaped nose in the V-shaped slot.

Equivalent and complementary projection and recess means or configurations can be substituted for the V- shaped nose and V-shaped slot, respectively, providing such configurations likewise extend transversely of the longitudinal axis of the tool and exhibit planar symmetry to define solely the aforementioned plane and file positions. The transverse character of the V-shaped or equivalent projections and recess means aligns the handle with the tool in either handle position and also provides the proper and precisely longitudinal direction of forces involved in the use of the tool.

The means which connect the hand rest to the handle are preferably adjustable in length whereby the cutting surface of the blade may be flexed to provide a fiat, convex or concave cutting surface.

The cutting surface on the or each side of the blade has a plurality of cutting teeth, e.g. in like manner to a file. In one form of the invention, the blade has teeth of straight formation on one side and teeth of curved formation on the other side.

By way of example, a specific embodiment in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of a trimming tool, the handle being shown in a plane position; and

FIGURE 2 is an elevation of the trimming tool shown in FIGURE 1 with the handle in a file position.

With reference to the drawings, the trimming to'ol comprises an elongated blade 11 and a holder therefor, the blade being secured to the holder by two countersunk head, self cutting screws, one screw being located adjacent each end of the blade. The blade is thereby readily removable from the holder so that both sides 12, 13 of the blade may be employed as cutting surfaces. In this example, the blade is provided with a straight tooth formation on its side 12 and a curved tooth formation on its other side 13.

The holder 10 is provided with a hand rest 16 at one end and a handle 14 at the other end, the handle being mounted on a support member 15 in a manner which will be described below, ad the tool being designed for use by an operator with the handle at the rear of the tool, i.e. nearest to the operator. The support member 15 and the hand rest 16 are connected by an integral backing plate 17 for the blade 11. This member, which comprises the support member 15, the backing plate 17 and the hand rest 16, is made of a nylon material. Also, the dimensions of the backing plate 17 render it sufiiciently flexible to allow it to be fixed together with the blade 11 by the means described below.

The handle 14 is connected to the hand rest 16 by a pair of threaded rods 18, 19, the rods being interconnected by an adjusting nut 20 and the longitudinal axis of the rods being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the blade. The outer end of the rod 18 extends through an upwardly open slot 23 in the support member and is connected to the handle by a transverse pin 26. The outer end of the rod 19 is connected by a transverse pin 27 to the hand rest 16. One of the rods 18, 19 has a lefthand screw thread and the other rod has a right-hand screw thread whereby the adjusting nut 20 is capable of moving the handle 14 and the hand rest 16 towards or away from each other. Such adjustment of the nut 20 results in the blade 11 being fiexed to provide a convey, fiat or concave cutting surface. In practice, a convex cutting surface (as shown in both drawings) is useful if the operator desires to use the tool at a certain spot as opposed to along a surface. Means (not shown) may be provided for limiting the curvature that may be applied to the blade. It is also preferred that the adjusting nut should be located over the centre of the blade, with respect to its length, in order to produce a uniform curvature of the blade.

The connection between the handle 14 and its support member 15 is a V-shaped extension 21 which interen gages with a slot 22 of corresponding shape in the support member and which extends in a transverse direction to the longitudinal axis of the rods 18, 19. As described above, the end of the rod 18 adjacent the handle 14 extends through the upwardly open slot 23. The handle 14 is thereby capable of movement between a plane position (FIGURE 1) and a file position (FIGURE 2). Also, in this example, when the handle is in the plane position, the handle is forwardly inclined, i.e. towards the hand rest 16. In order to provide this forward inclination or rake of the handle in the plane position, the angle of the V-shaped extension 21 of the handle and also the slot 22 should equal less the angle of rake. It will then be possible to remove the V-shaped extension of the handle from the slot, having first loosened the adjusting nut 20, to rotate the handle through about its own longitudinal axis, and then to replace the V- shaped extension in the slot 22, whereupon the handle will be in a file position, i.e. a position in which the longitudinal axis of the handle is parallel to the plane of the cutting surface of the blade when straight. In this example, the surface 25 of the V-shaped slot 22, which surface is the surface that is nearer to the hand rest 16, is at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the rods 18,

3 19. However, if desired, the surface 25 may be so inclined to the axis of the rods that movement of the handle and the hand rest towards each other (i.e. during adjustment of the adjusting nut 20) tends to move the V-shaped extension 21 of the handle further into the slot 22.

A locking nut 24 is provided on the rod 18, which when tightened against the support member 15 for the handle, prevents movement of the handle relative to the support member. A recess may be provided in the support member for reception of the adjacent end of the locking nut 24, which recess will prevent movement of the rod 18 out of the slot 23 without first loosening the nut 24.

It will be appreciated that when the handle is separated from its support member, the handle is still connected to the hand rest by the rods 18, 19 and the adjusting nut 20. There are thus no loose parts to be lost.

We claim:

1. A trimming tool comprising an elongated blade having a cutting surface on at least one side and a holder for the blade extending along the other side of the blade, the holder having at one end a hand rest, at the other end a support member substantially fixed in relation to the hand rest which support member has a V-shaped slot extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tool and facing away from the hand rest, a handle, and connecting means joining the handle to the hand rest, the handle having a V-shaped nose corresponding in shape and size to the V-shaped slot in the support member, into which slot it can thus be fitted with either of two different orientations, the angle and location of the slot and the nose being such that the handle can be mounted on the support member in a plane position or in a file position, depending on the orientation of the V-shaped nose in the V-shaped slot.

2. A trimming tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the connecting means which join the hand rest to the handle are adjustable in length whereby the cutting surface of the :blade may be flexed to provide fiat, convex and concave cutting surfaces, one of these surfaces being selected for any particular purpose.

3. A trimming tool as claimed in claim 2 in which the adjustable means joining the hand rest to the handle comprise a pair of threaded rods interconnected by an adjusting nut, one of the rods being connected at its outer end to the handle and the other rod being connected at its outer end to the hand rest.

4. A trimming tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the blade in reversible and is provided with teeth of straight formation on one side and teeth of curved formation on the other side.

5. A holder for an elongated blade having a cutting surface on at least one side, the holder comprising means for securing the blade to the holder whereby the holder extends alnog the other side of the blade, a hand rest at one end of the holder, a support member at the other end of the holder, which support member is substantially fixed in relation to the hand rest and has a V-shaped slot extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the holder and facing away from the hand rest, a handle, and connecting means joining the handle to the hand rest, the handle having a V-shaped nose corresponding in shape and size to the V-shaped slot in the support member, into which slot it can thus be fitted with either of two different orientations, the angle and location of the slot and the nose being such that the handle may be mounted on the support member in a plane position or in a file position, depending on the orientation of the V-shaped nose in the V-shaped slot.

6. A trimming tool comprising an elongated blade having a cutting surface on at least one side thereof and a holder for the blade extending along the other side of the blade, said holder having at one end a hand rest and at the other end a support member substantially fixed in the relation to the hand rest, a handle, and complementary recess and projection means formed on said handle and on said support member, said projection and recess means having planar symmetries so that said projection and recess means can be interfitted with either of two differing orientations of said handle, said projection and recess means extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of said tool to align said handle with said tool in either handle position, and the angle and location of said projection and recess means being such that the handle can be mounted on said support member in a plane position or in a file position depending upon the mutual orientation of the components of said projection and recess means.

7. The combination according to claim 6 wherein connecting means are provided for directly connecting said handle to said hand rest.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS HARRISON L. HINSON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 29-80 

